A new start

Dear reader,

Which gene­ra­tion is actually the ‘next’ gene­ra­tion – the one after us, or the one after me? Or the gene­ra­tion that’s not yet born? And what do we alre­ady know about how future gene­ra­ti­ons are going to act? 

The latest issue of The Philanthropist explo­res the skills that will be important in the future. We show­case pionee­ring thin­kers and methods that use swarm intel­li­gence to deve­lop future-proof ideas – and, in turn, aim to help projects take flight. These new approa­ches cross paths with deep-rooted tradi­ti­ons in the foun­da­tion sector, leading to fric­tion and to ques­ti­ons. We believe that these disagree­ments are right and proper: blindly adop­ting new deve­lo­p­ments is just as naive and negli­gent as rejec­ting them on prin­ci­ple alone.

As a result, we have deci­ded to listen to the various views and take them seriously. Why? Because the tension crea­ted by the clash between opera­tio­nal and stra­te­gic manage­ment, or between expe­ri­en­ced phil­an­thro­pists and young acti­vists, forms the bedrock on which new solu­ti­ons are built. Reaching a prema­ture consen­sus can cut short an idea. 

This is why you can engage in discus­sions within the StiftungSchweiz network and share your views. What is your expe­ri­ence of the ‘next gene­ra­tion’ in your foun­da­tion work?

The Philanthropist team